Working Out When Sick

I recently drove across the country with my wife, and in the process probably pushed things a little too far. To get a vehicle to my sister in Chicago, we drove from Phoenix, leaving at 5:45 p.m. Wednesday night and arriving in Chicago at 6:30 p.m. Friday evening. We delivered the car fully gassed up and cleaned so that it wouldn't look like we had just driven it 1,750 miles. Several bottles of 5 Hour Energy, a night of catching up with my sister, and a 3:45 wake-up time to catch a 6:45 a.m. flight the next day left my immune system useless.  My throat began hurting somewhere around Tulsa, Oklahoma, and by the time I reached Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, the sniffles had started.

If this were the end of the symptoms, then training would not be an issue. The rule of thumb is that if the symptoms stay above the neck line, then exercise (if kept at a lower intensity) is acceptable. I had a reserve trip starting the next day, and though that means I'm on-call and might not be used, I was already planning a morning workout. We arrived at my house by 9:35 a.m. on Saturday, and as we unpacked, I had thoughts of working out that afternoon. There were so many ways I could have still used that day to be productive.

Smiling because we have no idea what we've gotten ourselves into.

But that was when the rest of the symptoms came. I started feeling fatigued and achy. The feeling of warmth behind my eyes began and this made me think a fever could be around the corner.  The second rule of thumb is that when symptoms go below the neck line, you shouldn't exercise. This can have a couple different meanings, the first being chest congestion, a hacking cough or an upset stomach. The second meaning is a fever, fatigue or widespread muscle aches. Unfortunately, I had chest congestion and aches, so all my ideas of training went out the window. Saturday and Sunday were spent watching several episodes of Mad Men on streaming video from Netflix. I also watched Star Wars: A New Hope, as well as The Empire Strikes Back with my wife. (I am lucky to be married to a woman that will watch all six Star Wars movies in a row with me.) I am now sitting at my computer on Monday the 15th, having not been called yet to start a trip and finally almost healthy. I did watch footage from the Ironman Coeur d'Alene 2010, which motivated me for the next segment of this story, beginning to train again.

Hilary driving through New Mexico and me being very serious.

My plan is to do a light biking workout tomorrow, because once health is determined at a level appropriate to workout, you still can't just dive into it. A cycling workout is a lower heart rate intensity then running or swimming (at least the way I do it). I will try to work my way back to full intensity exercise by the end of one week of health. I am not happy with getting sick within 3 months of an Ironman, but by taking the time to rest and recover, I could be saving myself weeks of dragging this illness on. When recovering from being under the weather, start your training at a lower rate of exertion and gradually work your way up.

Texas was the only state that had one of these signs so big, so we had to stop and take a picture.

There is no exact timeline for working out while sick or a definite answer for what rate to begin working out again. You have to pay attention to what your body is telling you and know your personal limits. The rules of thumb are true for everyone, but the rest is a big variable. I'll let you know if my own assessment of my health turns out to be correct or not.

Handing the keys to my 8 1/2 months pregnant sister having no idea my immune system is being bombarded.